


Reality Ensues

by JeckParadox



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22220110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeckParadox/pseuds/JeckParadox
Summary: Lake is finally free from the flecs, from the Train, from a life of constant chaos and from running for her life. She's on Earth, and she's staying there.But what happens next?She's not human. She doesn't have an established identity, she doesn't have anything, really. Jesse is there for her, along with his family, and surprisingly, Tulip and her own as well, but it's not long before the government gets involved, looking to her for an explanation for countless missing person cases over the years.The people in the normal world are desperate to find out what's been causing the disappearances, and are trying to get them to stop. Part of her never wants to go back to the Infinity Train, but as the one Denizen who has managed to escape, it's part of her responsibility.
Comments: 41
Kudos: 219





	1. Chapter 1

"Jesse, oh, Jesse thank God!" 

"Mom, Mom, I'm fine." he tried, before beginning to break down and cry as well, "I'm so glad I'm home." he manages, hugging her. 

"What happened?" she asked, looking him over, "Where were you? It's been four weeks, and... Nate said he saw you yesterday, but you disappeared again and- and-" she devolved back into sobbing, clinging to her son. 

"It's a really long story." he managed, "But I'll be sure to tell you everything." 

"I just- it's been almost a month, Jesse. We called the police, and we put up posters and- and- we had to assume the worst, and we had no idea..." she stood up, suddenly, wiping tears away on her sleeve, "I have to tell Steve, he'll be overjoyed, he'll head right home and... and... Where were you?" 

"Uh... it's... kind of part of the whole long story?" he said, "Just let me explain first, okay?" 

"Explain what?" 

"The Train."

* * *

Lake had been led to the backyard of their house, and told to sit tight until Jesse successfully explained everything to his mom. While she didn't have much confidence in his ability to do anything close to that- through no fault of his own, of course, the Train was just that weird, -she was content to wait for now. After all, she had all the time in the world. 

There was nobody after her. Nobody waiting to chase her down, nobody to try and kill her.

Nobody _she_ would have to kill.

"Um, Lake?" She was brought out of her daydreams by the sound of Jesse's brother. 

"Hey Nate." she said, getting up off the ground, wiping off some grass still sticking to her clothes. Alan Dracula would have loved this place. It had all his favorite things- her, Jesse, and grass. Lots and lots of grass.

"I brought food." he said, handing her a bag of chips and a juice box. 

"Sweet, thanks." she ripped it open, taking a handful and eating, while the bemused boy watched. 

"Where does it go?" he asked.

"Into my stomach." she said, with just a tinge of annoyance, "Your brother already spent like, days, quizzing me about all the fun parts of being a refle- _former_ reflection." 

"Did it bother you?" 

"A little." she admitted. 

"And he kept doing it?"

"Every once in a while." she said, "Why?"

"That doesn't sound like him." Nate said, "He doesn't really do things that make people not like him. He's really friendly." 

"He's probably going to be less friendly to everyone now." Lake said, with some pride, "He felt really bad about what happened to you, you know. And he's not going to let something like that happen again. He grew a spine while he was on the Train. Cares more about doing what's right for him over doing what'll make others like him." 

"I know. He said." Nate said, smiling a little, but it was bittersweet. 

She sucked on the juice box for a bit, "So, how is your Mom taking all of this?" 

"Not well. She doesn't really believe him yet. And uh, he keeps getting distracted with stuff that happened. Did you really fight a brain parasite in a train car made of food?" 

"Yeah, although it was less fighting him, and more trying to get him out of our friend." Lake said, "I feel kinda bad about it now, we just left him frozen there." she considered it for a moment, "Not _that_ bad, though." 

"Wow." The little boy was quiet for a while after that, and began picking at the grass with the arm not in a cast, "Um, do you need any more food? I know Jesse was really hungry, once he got inside." 

"I'd like that, thanks." she said, and the boy got up, running back into the house. She laid back down in her previous position, and watched the sky. A _real_ sky, she knew, just like the sky in the wasteland. There was no door to find, no _outside_ at all, unless you counted space. She finished off the last of the potato chips, and emptied the juice box, and simply relaxed. 

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she heard a car door slam, and a man shouting Jesse's name on the other side of the house. That would be his Dad, then. She idly wondered how her Dad was doing, or rather, Tulip's dad. Tulip's parents. She hoped they were okay. That Tulip was okay. 

She realized with a start that she could actually find out. They were in the same world again. Should she... try talking to them? She probably should, right? She still cared about them, even if they weren't really hers. Even if she wasn't Tulip's reflection any more. She got up, stretching, and noticed that more food had been left out for her. A sandwich in a little plastic tub. She picked it up and began eating as she approached one of the back windows, peeking into the house. She could hear the sounds of Jesse reuniting with his Dad, and smiled. 

She glanced briefly at her reflection, seeing herself from two perspectives, her heart rate spiking as it always did when she saw a mirror, but nothing happened. No white-gloved hands rose out of it to grasp for her. She reached out, from both sides, and smiled, looking past herself and into the house. They weren't in the laundry room, which the window was connected to, but she could see a shiny doorknob from here. And on it, a tiny her looked to the side, catching sight of them as they talked. Not wanting to spy, she pulled away, until the doorknob stopped reflecting her, and until she was away from the window. 

The sky grew darker, and she wandered around the backyard, simply thinking in circles, enjoying her freedom, until the sliding door opened. Jesse, Nate, and their parents all standing there. 

"Uh, Mom, Dad, this is Lake." he rushed over to her, before swinging an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close, "And she's my best friend, and she saved my life like, a dozen times, and she's one of the coolest people in the world." 

"J-Jesse!" she managed, blushing, before looking at the two awestruck parents "Uh, Hi. Jesse's parents. I'm real. All of it's real. He really was tricked into getting onto a train in another dimension, and he worked really hard to get back."

"Um... hello, Lake." Jesse's mom said, smiling, "That's... good. I'm very grateful for everything you did for my son. Would you like to come in?" 

"I'd like that." 

Jesse's dad, on the other hand, just stared at her, eyes wide, even as she walked past him.

* * *

Dinner was an awkward affair, despite how firm Jesse was in his support of her, she still felt a little judged. She tried not to hold it against them, considering they had never in their lives experienced something outside of the normal, and were still reeling from the reappearance of their eldest son. The fact she came from the same place that he had been stolen away to probably didn't help her case either. 

Jesse's father, Stephen Cosay, still hadn't said much, and nothing to her directly. 

His mom, Whittney Cosay, was a lot more talkative, trying to make idle chat while they ate, accepting the compliments for her cooking with appropriate gratitude and humbleness, and asking her questions about herself. But of course, whenever Lake said something that could have never been uttered by a human with normal life experience, it left her looking a little lost. 

"So... you've been avoiding these... flecs? That's just awful, dear." Whittney said nervously, "I can't imagine how hard you've had it."

Lake nodded, "It's kind of a dream come true, being here. Finally safe." 

"And they can't come through after you?" Whittney asked, her smile slipping. At that, Jesse's dad tensed a little too.

Jesse just shrugged it off, "We're not on the Train any more. We're perfectly safe."

"She came through." Stephen accused, "Why can't they come through too?"

"Dad!" Jesse protested.

"No, no, I get it. The way I got out... was really unusual, and the Conductor wouldn't let it happen a second time." Lake assured them. Not to mention the agents assigned to her were both dead, "And even if they did come through, they'd only be after me. They never hurt Jesse." 

Jesse nodded, although he shot a stink-eye at his dad, who at least looked guilty about it, "I'm sorry Lake. It's just." Stephen said, finally addressing her, "I just... I don't know how to handle what I'm feeling right now. I don't understand. I was, we were, sure our son was dead. Now we find out he was kidnapped, and put through- some kind of **alien** _torture chamber,_ to try and _condition_ him to act differently." he said, breathing heavily, "I just- what do I do with that? And he brought you with him, and I'm grateful, so grateful you don't know, that you saved his life in that place. I really am. But you're a goddamn _alien._ And you're from the same place kidnapped him."

She pushed down the sudden surge of anger. It was... alright, for parents to act like this, they were supposed to. Parents were supposed to want to protect their children, and she was pretty suspicious. "I get it." she said, "All I can say is that I was trapped there too. I didn't create the Train, I don't like it, I tried to _punch_ the thing running it in the _face._ And I escaped."

"She's a victim too." Jesse said, "None of what happened was her fault." he looked down at his hand, free of any glowing mark of any kind, "It was my own fault."

"No!" 

"Don't say that!"

He looked up, startled, at his parents, "But- I got Nate hurt, and that's what called the Train. I needed- I needed to become a better person, and the Train did help me do that. Or at least, Alan Dracula and Lake did, and I only met them because I was on the Train."

"Dude." Lake put a hand on his shoulder, "You're a better person now." she agreed, "But that doesn't justify _anything._ That place was a death trap, and sucking people inside to try and 'fix' them is _messed up._ You did a bad thing with Nate, but that doesn't mean you deserved to go there, or that it was your fault you ended up there. Alright?" 

The whole table was quiet, then. 

"...Okay." Jesse said, "Yeah, you're right. It's not my fault." he shook his head, "Thanks, Lake." he looked to his parents, "I- thanks." 

When dinner was finished, another awkward pause followed. All five of the people in the house busying themselves with the cleanup, before coming together again at the table. 

"Well... for tonight, we'll just rest." Whittney said, when nobody else said anything, "Maybe tomorrow, as well. But then... Jesse, we'll have to tell people you're back. You worried a lot of people, and... they'll be so happy to hear you're home, now." 

He nodded, "At least I didn't miss any school, right?" he joked. 

"And Lake..." Whittney looked to the chrome girl, and hesitated, before looking to her son, and then back to her, "What do you want to do?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"What do you want to do?" Whittney repeated, "We'll support you, of course, for as long as we can. In any _way_ we can." she assured, impressing Lake with how genuinely the woman was saying it, "You brought my boy home. We won't ever stop owing you." 

She blushed, sinking in her seat, "Um. Thanks, Mrs. Cosay."

"You can live with us!" Nate said, excited "Jesse has a really big sleeping bag you can use." 

"Thank you." 

"You can stay as long as you need, of course." Whittney agreed, "But still, what do you want us to do? Should we try to... hide you? Do you need us to take you somewhere? Do you want to try talking to the government? You don't have any kind of ID, right? Maybe we could get you... refugee status? Looking for asylum in the U.S.? That is kind of what you're doing." 

She shook her head, "I haven't thought about it." she said, "I didn't really think it was possible, until a few days ago, and now that we succeeded... my only plan was getting somewhere safe. Not what would come after." 

That wasn't exactly true, though. Agent Mace had made her think about it, taunted her with it, and she had ignored it. And murdered him. What would she do? Go to school? To college? Get a job? She had tried accounting with the pencils for a few weeks, before she found it wasn't for her. Could she do something like that? Or... would revealing herself simply get her thrown into a cage somewhere, while scientists poked and prodded at her trying to figure out why and how she worked. 

That's what happened to aliens in movies. They ended up in a secret government base, dissected. 

But at the same time, she couldn't go back into hiding again. On the run. Not without at least _trying_ to live in the light. Didn't she deserve at least that, after everything she went through!? 

And even if it did turn out the government would chase her, she was still in a better situation than before. They wouldn't be able to jump at her from any reflective surface she got caught in, they wouldn't know exactly how to hurt her, and probably wouldn't even be trying to kill her. And there weren't any doors in her way. She had a the whole wide world to flee through. 

"I don't want to hide." she verbalized, "I'm _safe_ now. I'm not going to hide any more." 

Jesse and his family nodded along with her statement, agreeing. 

She was safe now. 

She _didn't_ have to hide.


	2. Chapter 2

Sun peeked in through the window, and Jesse got up, stretching. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, "Alan Dracula?" he offered, trying to spot a bit of green anywhere that might have attracted... the... deer...

He was home!

Alertness hit him like a truck as he remembered everything that had happened yesterday. Or... maybe, the last three days? He went through the exit, MT- no, Lake, getting left behind. He got home, he talked things over with his brother, and then he just ran straight out into the woods, past the hill where he had let his friends torment Nate for laughs, right up to the place where the Train appeared the first time. 

He had spent less than an hour back on Earth, but he wished, hoped, begged, practically prayed that it would appear again, and it did. He climbed back aboard without a thought, and the next thing he knew he was waking up in that giant room with Lake and the machines, and then the Flec appeared, shouting something about Lake killing Mace, and he was thrown into the screen.

And then, Lake got them both back home. But by then, a few days had passed on Earth, and considering what he got out of Lake's rushed explanation, it had been a long time for her too. Maybe time was different on the Train? Either that, or stepping on and off the Train takes hours, or something, even if it only seemed like a few seconds. It made about as much sense as anything else. 

He shook himself, waking up properly, and got up. He wondered where his clothes were, before grinning, remembering that he had pajamas again. That he was home again. With his brother, and his parents, and his best friend. 

No Alan Dracula, but... well, Alan Dracula could take care of himself. He would probably just find a nice car with a lot of grass, and just enjoy himself. It was what he deserved.

Not like Lake, who would have never known peace on the Train. And even if she wasn't being chased by the Flecs any more, she needed him a lot more than she let on. He had a feeling she was pretty lonely before he wandered into her life.

Speaking of Lake, he hurried towards the stairs, to go wake her up. If he had been about ready for a freakout, waking up at home rather than in the Train, she probably would too. He took steps two at a time, zipping over to the study, where she had been set up with a sleeping bag. He wandered over to her, and found that she was still asleep. The curtains had been drawn, after all, and no sun had been let in. 

"Hey, Lake." he said quietly, "It's morning."

"Buwhuh?" she murmured, cracking open an eye, "Hey Jesse." she managed, her echo-ey voice muffled slightly by the very comfy sleeping bag. 

"Good morning." he repeated, "Ready for your first day in the real world!" 

"The Train was real too." she said. Before beginning to attempt wiggling out of the bag without much immediate success. 

"You know what I mean." he said, rolling his eyes before helping her find the zipper. She pulled free of it, and he had to hold back a snort. 

"What?" she asked suspiciously. 

"It's just so weird seeing you in my clothes."

"It's not like your mom's fit me." Lake complained, "I don't see why I couldn't just keep on wearing my other clothes." 

"They haven't been washed in weeks." 

"It's not like I'm constantly sweating all over them like you were." she teased. 

"Lots of other stuff happened though. Like, how many times did we end up covered in slime, or buried in mud, or dropped into a vat of ice cream?"

"Like, once each? Maybe two or three times with the mud?" 

"That's still enough to make clothes dirty!" he helped her up, groaning briefly with effort, "Aw well. We'll get you plenty of your own clothes soon!" 

She hesitated at that, looking down, "Will that be hard on your parents?"

"Lake, don't worry about it." he said, "They'd be happy to. We're home! Your home too, they said so." 

"They said I could _stay,_ not- well. Never mind." Jesse frowned, before taking one of her hands, "Uh."

"They're not going to kick you out, Lake." he said seriously, "I know my Mom and Dad pretty well, and they wouldn't do something like that. Besides, even if they _did_ kick you out, I'd go with you."

She went wide-eyed at that, "Seriously?"

"We're best friends. We're partners. We survived everything that the Train could throw at us together." Jesse assured, "I'm not going to leave you behind now. Seriously. Don't worry about anything like that, Lake. You're _welcome_ here." 

"I... thanks, Jesse." 

"Come on." he said, "The sun only just came up, and the lake is absolutely gorgeous right now." 

"Why _thank_ you." she said with a smirk. 

"You're _quite_ welcome." he said, not missing a beat. 

They both laughed, before heading outside to sit on the front step, and look out over the lake, the mountains, the forests across from their house. "It really is gorgeous here." Lake said, "What state are we in?"

"Arizona. Home sweet home." Jesse said.

"Huh. I kind of thought it was all just desert."

"Not all of it." he said, "What about you?" 

"I'm from the Mirror World. Tulip was from Minnesota."

He suddenly looked at her very intensely, "Wait... I have to ask a very important question." 

"What?" 

"Soda, or pop?" 

"What do you mean-"

"Soda or pop, Lake, it's not a hard question." 

"Pop." 

"How dare you." 

"No, how dare _you._ What, are you from the fifties, or something? Do you hit up the jukebox at the soda fountain after school?" 

"Pop is a type of music!" 

"Pop can be two things." 

They quickly dissolved into giggles, before Jesse stopped with a quiet hiss, putting a hand on his chest.

"Are you alright?" Lake asked.

"Yeah, just, uh, still kind of bruised from the Flec throwing me." 

Lake tensed up, "I'm sorry, Jesse."

"No, no, it's fine. Nothing's broken." he sighed, "Not like with Nate."

"How long will he have the cast?" 

"For another few weeks, at least." Jesse said. 

"Hm." 

They fell into a quiet, then. 

One that was suddenly interrupted by a scream from inside the house. 

Both teens leaped to their feet, and rushed back inside, ready to fight, when they spotted his mom. 

"Oh thank God you're still here." his mom said, breathing out and sinking into the nearest chair.

* * *

He was a horrible son. 

"Jesse, it's fine." 

"It's not fine. I'm sorry mom, I should have known you'd check on me and-" 

"Jesse." 

"-I'm such a selfish person, I should have woken you up right away and-"

"Jesse, it's fine. I just got spooked, that's all. You didn't do anything wrong." 

"And I..." his mom took one of his hands, and squeezed it a little, calming him down, "Sorry." 

"It's fine." she repeated again, "Still, you almost never wake up this early on your own." 

"There weren't really clocks on the Train." he explained, and she squeezed his hand tighter.

"We got up when there was light, and rested when there was dark." Lake said simply, "Most of the cars had _some_ kind of day-night cycle."

"Speaking of day-night cycles, how did you sleep?" 

"Like a baby." Lake admitted, "That sleeping bag is extremely comfy." 

"Isn't it?" he said proudly, "So, what do you want for breakfast?" he asked, heading into the kitchen. Lake and his mother followed, "We've got cereal, pancakes-"

"You let me worry about that." his mother said, slightly nudging him out of the way, "Why don't you and Lake set up the table." 

"Uh, okay, Mrs. Cosay." Lake said. She headed for the cupboard, bringing out a few plates, while Jesse grabbed some silverware. 

Within a few minutes, Jesse's dad came down as well, and they had breakfast.

It was... shockingly nice. The previous night's dinner had been in a kind of state of disbelief. But this morning... he was home, really, truly, home. He had his parents, he had his brother, he had his dining room, and table, and pancakes made using his mom's recipe.

And he had his friend, who was having all these things for the first time.

* * *

The first two days were fairly slow-going, as Jesse adapted to returning home, Lake adapted to life outside of the Train, and his family adapted to him being back, and Lake... well, just _being._

On the third day, however, everyone agreed it was time to have several important conversations. Namely, what would happen to Lake.

"No matter what you choose, you can stay here as long as you need, dear." Mrs. Cosay said gently, smiling down at the girl, "But... we should talk about what we want to do. What _you_ want to do. To begin with, there's the matter of the police. Jesse," she said, turning to her son, "You've been recorded as missing for a month now. They told us to call them if we hear anything- but, well, we haven't yet." 

Lake shrunk back a little at the mention of the police, but Jesse put a hand on her shoulder, "Thanks."

"But we're going to have to say something to them eventually. The question is... what?"

"What do you mean?" Lake asked.

"Well, we can either tell the whole truth, part of the truth, or just make something up. If we tell the whole or part of the truth... well, they'll probably want to talk to you Lake. But if that's unacceptable... we can just try hiding you, and make something up about... Jesse running off and hitchhiking around the state, or something."

"I'd never do that!"

"It's something they brought up as a possibility. If the police think it might have happened, they'll probably believe it." Mrs. Cosay said simply, "Now, Lake... what do you think?"

"...I know I'm never going to live a normal life. Not really." she said slowly, "Even _here._ But I want to do something... something _close._ I don't want to find a bunker somewhere and live in hiding forever. I'm not gonna stay secret. So... we might as well tell them. Get it over with."

"If you're sure." Jesse said.

"I'm sure." she said, leaning into him.

"Then we have a plan. Now, Lake, how old are you?"

"Uh. What do you mean by that?" Lake asked, "Because it's a complicated question."

"How is it complicated?" Jesse asked.

"Well, it depends on how you look at it. I've been reflecting Tulip for thirteen years, so my body is thirteen years old. But then, I've been getting taller... even after I stopped reflecting her. So... either we're still connected, and I'm still somehow reflecting her aging, or _I've_ started aging. So I _could_ be fourteen. But no reflections really know how many times they've reincarnated. It could be that Tulip was my very first form, and it could be that I've been through body after body, having my memories erased and reflecting someone else over and over again. In which case I could be thousands, or even millions, or hundreds of millions of years old. On the other hand, I've only been free of the mirror world for a little less than a year. So you could consider me to only be a few months old."

Mrs. Cosay and Jesse stared at her.

Jesse shrugged, "We'll round it to fourteen."

"Sure." Lake said.

Mrs. Cosay blinked several times, before deciding to ignore most of what she just said, "Very well, fourteen. That means for four more years, you'll need someone to take care of you, and be responsible for you, no matter what happens. In which case... would you want us to foster you, officially?"

"I... that would be wonderful, thank you." Lake said, touched.

"Alright. Frankly, I have no idea how to go about getting a fourteen year-old with absolutely no records things like a birth certificate, but we'll focus on this kind of stuff one step at a time."

"Thank you."


End file.
